Darren Lehmann

A superbly talented cricketer, Darren Lehmann is a free-scoring left-handed batsman, an underestimated left-arm orthodox spin bowler and, especially of late, a core member of the Australian one-day side.

The captain of South Australia since 1998, he is a stockily-built strokeplayer who treats spectators to an audacious mixture of swashbuckling aggression and deft finesse. Darren Lehmann is a wonderful keynote speaker – he is both out spoken and extremely funny.
From the time that he burst on to the first-class scene in Australia as a 17-year-old in the 1987-88 season, Lehmann has built an imposing record in both his home country and with county team Yorkshire in England. As of the end of the 2002-03 season, he had amassed close to 19,000 first class runs at an average that has consistently hovered well above the 50 mark; been an integral member of winning Sheffield Shield sides in 1990-91 and 1995-96 and the victorious County Championship team of 2001; and risen to first place on the list of all-time leading run scorers in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup history.
While he has represented South Australia, Victoria (between 1990-91 and 1992-93) and Yorkshire with great distinction, Lehmann has been overlooked by Australia's Test selectors for much of his career. Lehmann achieved a telling milestone by playing more first-class cricket and scoring more runs than any other Australian in history before making his Test debut - in Bangalore in 1998. However, his consistent performances did pay dividends when, at 32, he was selected to replace Mark Waugh for the 2002/03 Ashes series.
Darren Lehmann's talents have won him far more regular opportunities in Australia's one-day international team - particularly during the late 1990s, and upon the restructuring of the country's limited-overs squad in early 2002. In 1999 he had the glorious honour, upon the hallowed turf at Lord's, of hitting the winning runs in the World Cup final, and was a key member of the side which defended the title four years later.

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